The Wraith Retrovirus: Turning an Enemy Human

The Wraith retrovirus was designed to attack the genetic foundation of the enemy rather than kill through conventional force. Developed by Dr. Carson Beckett from research into Wraith and human biology, it suppressed the Wraith characteristics produced by iratus-bug DNA and temporarily transformed a subject into an apparently ordinary human. This episode examines the strategic promise and ethical danger of that approach. Atlantis hoped the treatment might remove the Wraith need to feed, reduce their military threat, or create a weapon that could be spread through hive populations. The first major test was conducted on a captured Wraith whose memory was erased and who was told he was Lieutenant Michael Kenmore. The experiment produced a human body without resolving identity, consent, or long-term stability. When the treatment began to fail, the expedition faced the consequences of turning a prisoner into a medical subject and then demanding that he accept the life constructed for him. Visit ImaginedBattlefield.com for more military and science fiction.